Lost Zanpakuto
by Butterflaizen
Summary: Set during the Zanpakuto Rebellion a young Zanpakuto is released from her master. She has never met her real master before nor even know his name, this is her search for her true identity
1. Chapter 1

I am still trapped I this desert, empty and alone. I have given up hope long ago. I sit deep in thought on the painfully white sand staring at the clouds floating by. The different shapes danced against the bright blue canvas. What will I do today? Will I train as I do every day? Or will today be different? I lay back on the sand, warmed by the glaring sun. It never seems to stop it's burning, passing over from day to day. In the early morning I sit and wait, wondering if by chance it will not rise, but sure enough I see the bright orange and yellows from the sun rising. How long have I been here again? I have been sitting here for almost 150 years. It had occurred to me long ago that he doesn't care. He doesn't care about contacting me. I used to tell myself to never give up hope on him, but my hopes of leaving this place were shattered. If he did care, I would have heard him a long time ago. I've waited patiently for his voice, to hear the sweet sound of freedom, but it has never come.

But, today is different. Today I do hear a voice. It is not his voice though, it is unfamiliar, yet it is soothing and graceful, and I trust it. It is a voice of a man, he speaks to me- "Follow your instincts" it echoes "and you will be free, our time has come"

What does he mean by 'our time'? I did not want to hesitate and had no time to question it. I follow in the direction of the voice; I must get out of this desert. I stumble closer; the world begins to swirl around me and begins to change. I am no longer in the desert; my surroundings are completely new to me. It is dark, we stand on a building. I don't understand how I know, but I recognise the place as the Seireitei. It is a large city in the central of the soul society, or otherwise known as the spirit world. After death souls gather in the soul society until they reincarnate back into the human world. The seireitei is the main residence of most soul reapers.

Another thing I recognise is the two men fighting. One of which is a soul reaper, the other is a man, possibly a zanpakuto.

"There you are, you are awake" He says to me. His voice was the same as that of the voice who freed me. I owed him my freedom..

The other man, the soul reaper, he seems oblivious to my standing here. Could that be him? I haven't seen his face in so long, he was probably much younger the first time I saw him. I have waited for this day for so many years. Back then, I dreamt about what I would feel. I could only imagine what I would feel or say when I met him. I had always thought I would be happy or excited to see my master. But, I never imagined I would feel like this.

I feel anger towards these soul reapers. Especially the very one who left me to walk the desert alone. Hate consumes me as I feel urged to attack the soul reaper. I don't know why I feel this way, the hatred of my own master. I should not be angry. Even after he left me in the desert all these years, I have never blamed him for that, until now. I should not be angry at all.

It became apparent to me that someone is controlling me. They are influencing my emotions to feel this anger. It could be the man fighting the soul reaper who is controlling me. He is turning me against my own master as a battle tactic.

Why did it have to him that I hate? Why did I have to hate him of all people? I stand frozen as my mind and my sanity are engulfed in an ocean of red. At this rate, I will no longer have my memories left and will attack him. If I do not wish to harm him I must leave immediately.

I turn the other way and begin running, but before I start moving sharp pains run up my body. I slowly look down to the streaming dark red blood flowing from my body. The sword is pulled from my body when my vision begins to blur. I can make out the sword which struck me, its bright pink hilt and shiny blade covered with blood. I can also make out the smiling face of a young girl as blood splatters over her clothes.

Then there was complete blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

I slowly open my eyes to find myself in a white room, in a white bed. Pain pulses through my body as I sit up. I am in a hospital bed, with tubes and cords leading from my body. I analyse the room, there are a few other beds which are occupied. They may also be Zanpakuto, or perhaps soul reapers. In a sudden flashback of my stabbing I rush to check the wound on my stomach. Nothing serious, only a scar remains. This means I must have been in here for a long time. Another scar is nothing out of the ordinary. My body is covered in scars already, none of which I have been able to explain. One thin line covers over my right eye, from my forehead to the level of my nose. Another is on my left cheek, a lot thicker than the other. The others are scattered over my body, they never completely heal so they are very noticeable.

A young nurse, who appears about 20, enters the room carrying a clipboard, writing reports on her assigned patients. She looks up from her work to find me awake, sitting up in bed. She is startled, dropping her clipboard and running from the room. I could hear her cries in the hallway- "Captain" She called. I began pulling the tubes leading from my arms in attempt to escape. If they find me awake they may sedate me again. I struggled with the wires, but I was determined to get them out.

My escape attempt was interrupted by another woman entering the room. She was older; she wore a doctor's coat and had a long braid down the front of her. Two others also entered. One had short light hair with a single long braid down the side. The other was the nurse from before. The two stayed in the doorway, seeming cautious of me, while the other woman approached ahead of them confidently.

Her voice was calming and sweet but somehow scary. "My name is Retsu Unohana, I am the Captain of squad four" she introduced. Of course she would be a captain. There were 13 captains of the court guard squads. All of which are the most powerful of the soul reapers. "You have been here for four days" She continues "After being revived by the department of research and development; you were brought here to recover. May I ask your name?"

"M-My name is Kodokuno" I answer

"Thank you Kodokuno, May I ask the name of your master? We may be able to locate them"

I look down to my fingers "I don't know his name"

The light haired girl reports to Unohana "Captain Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto completely lost his memory when he became separated from his master"

"Thank you lieutenant" she then turns back to me "were you part of the rebellion?" she asks

"There was a rebellion?" I question "I only remember the voice.. He told me to come, then as soon as I manifested I was attacked."

"Of course, thank you Kodokuno" she speaks to the lieutenant "I find this girl no danger to the soul reapers, after she is recovered fully, she is to be discharged"

"But-"objects the lieutenant.

"Thank you lieutenant" smiles Unohana as she exits the room, immediately ending the conversation.

I am completely confused as to what is happening around me. I should be dead right now. I remember clearly the smiling girl killing me. Can the soul society really bring back the dead? I lay for another day in the hospital bed, trying to understand what is happening.

The day of my discharge involves a complex explanation of what occurred in the rebellion. In summary a Zanpakuto spirit called Muramasa had the power to manifest other Zanpakuto and influence their emotions. He used this ability to hypnotise almost all the Zanpakuto spirit to turn on their masters. This rebellion ended through the death of Muramasa, and the department of research and development being able to revive all the dead Zanpakuto who did not return to their masters. At that time is when I notice the hatred is gone. Does this mean it is now safe to meet my master?

"It was discussed in the lieutenants meeting today that, as you have no known master, you will stay with squad ten lieutenants" Says the girl with the light coloured hair as we walk through the busy halls of the hospital. We walk outside the barracks to find a woman waiting for us. She had long curly strawberry blonde hair.

"Hi" she smiles pleasantly; "My name is Rangiku" she waves.

"My name is Kodokuno" I mumble at my feet.

She pulls the light haired girl to the side loudly whispering- "well isn't she morbid? You could at least of chosen someone more enthusiastic" The girl shrugs as they both look back at me.

Together Rangiku and I walk through the seireitei as Rangiku clamours on about the soul society, but her babbling becomes one long drone as I focus on my surroundings. My attention is directed to the eyes I can feel drilling into the back of my head. It is quite simple, really. Zanpakuto are not meant to be seen or heard by anyone other than their master, there is a special bond between the two, as Zanpakuto are born from their soul. It is a rare sight to catch glimpse of another's Zanpakuto, so I guess staring would be natural.

The door of the house is flung open as Rangiku calls "TADA! Home sweet home" It is a rather unkempt and messy home with empty bottles lying on the floor and clothes strung up over the chairs. Although given how repulsive it may seem, I would rather stay here than in barracks. I get easily claustrophobic in small places, probably because I have lived in a desert my whole life.

"Haineko! Where are you?" Yells Rangiku

"Haineko?" I question,

"She's my Zanpakuto" she explains, "She's so lazy and selfish, I don't know how she's my Zanpakuto" I try hard not to laugh. I am guessing someone who leaves a mess like this could not possibly be lazy.

"I'm coming! Don't stress old lady, you might get wrinkles" Calls another voice

"I am not old!" cries Rangiku

A teenage looking girl appears. She has short red hair and wearing a pale pink cat suit. It really is not surprising; you have to expect weird things from Zanpakuto. She looks me up and down and then at Rangiku, waiting for an explanation.

"This is Kodokuno, we are taking care of her for a few days" She says. You would have thought they were talking about a dog- 'taking care of'. Obviously the soul reapers don't trust me yet.

"Haineko" She introduces herself, "how long do ya think you will be here?"

"I'm not sure, it depends if I find my master" I mutter without looking her in the eye.

Tonight's going to be long and painful


	3. Chapter 3

I felt very uneasy that night. Haineko is sword form and Rangiku is asleep. It is impossible to sleep tonight. I try sneaking from the apartment without waking them. I check back to still find them peacefully asleep. I use this chance to walk through the streets to clear my mind. It is a beautiful night; the moon is high in the starry sky. It's just like the nights in the desert, like home. Although the sky back home was convincing, it always felt synthetic. It feels amazing to see the real thing.

I am homesick now; there I knew I was safe. I was at peace with loneliness. In a way loneliness was my friend. This is why I want to find him; I know his face but not his name. I can't imagine finding him here on the streets but I always hope that by chance I will turn the corner and see his face.

"You there!" My thought is interrupted by two soul reapers calling from behind me, obviously patrolling the streets.

"Are you a Zanpakuto?" One yells as they move closer.

"Or maybe a beast sword!" yells the other.

The both draw their swords. Do they still think I am an enemy?

I hold out my hand to call on my weapon. An old chipped sword forms in my hand. This was only to defend myself, I did not wish to harm these soul reapers and cause the soul society to see me as an enemy.

To my surprise they do not attack, instead they sheath their swords and bow. As I thought they were not bowing to me as they shouted "Captain" immediately afterwards. I spin around to find a taller man with long silver hair wearing a captain's haori.

He carefully analyses my weapon before finally asking-"Where did you get that sword from?"

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're insinuating! This is my blade" I say

"Because that looks identical to… hm..." He thinks aloud

"What? You know this Zanpakuto?" I ask desperately,

"Well I'm sure that might be his Zanpakuto" He is still thinking to himself aloud completely ignoring me.

"Whose is it?!" I shout

"Oh, I believe that looks like the blade Kenpachi Zaraki uses" He realises

Is this my master? The name sounds somewhat familiar. At least I have somewhere to start looking.

"Where can I find this Kenpachi Zaraki?" I ask

"Well" He thinks "He should be I the squad eleven barracks"

"Thank you so much!" I cry

"I thought you looked like you needed help" He smiled. He then introduced himself as Jushiro Ukitake and as the captain of squad 13.

My sword disappears as I run towards Rangiku's home shouting my final goodbyes to Jushiro Ukitake. I was filled with a new type of confidence as I run through the streets. I charged into her home before realizing that both Rangiku and Haineko are still asleep. I quietly close the door and sneak past them. I lay on the floor, excited like a small girl, thinking of the next day. It was difficult to sleep that night, and the next morning seemed as if it took forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Apparently I did end up falling asleep as I wake up to find Rangiku gone and Haineko sitting talking to another girl with dark long hair. I would say she appears younger than me and she wore a white and purple kimono. Her name was Tobiume.

We spent that entire morning talking about the other Zanpakuto and the soul reapers. They named all of the Zanpakuto which are presently manifested and about their masters, in hope I will be able to match names with faces.

"Tobiume and I are both lieutenant level Zanpakuto, meaning that, if we are at the same level of our masters, we are at lieutenant strength" explains Haineko,

"I wonder which level I would be" I say,

"You'll have to find your master to know that," says Tobiume,

"MY MASTER!" I remember, "I learnt his name, I found him!"

They both seemed excited until Haineko mentions that this means the end of my freedom. The soul reapers never intended on giving me freedom, I don't think I was free in the first place. If it never existed it cannot be taken away.

I tell the story of last night, meeting that captain. I also mentioned that I had to go to the squad eleven barracks.

"Do you know where the squad eleven barracks are?" I ask. They sit thinking for a painfully silent minute.

"Nope" says Haineko. I sigh heavily; at least I know his name.

There is a knock at the door, and Haineko walks over to answer it. Before she touches the handle a man enters with red hair and tattoos.

"Where is Rangiku?" He demands, "She missed the lieutenants meeting this morning" I can imagine her skipping her duties; she doesn't come across as one who takes responsibility.

Haineko stands up and paces around him. She halts suddenly and puts her hand on one hip- "she's not here Hun," she teased "But who needs her, you're welcome to stay"

He stands frozen, and he looks very uncomfortable. "Uh-"He stutters and side steps Haineko. This is my chance.

"Do you know where the squad eleven barracks are?" I question,

He regains focus and says- "Of course I do"

"Would you be able to take me there?" My voice shakes slightly,

"Why would you want to go there?" He says, almost suspiciously,

I look down- "There's someone I have to find"

"Come on Renji," a Zanpakuto enters; it consists of two people, a woman and young boy connected by a long chain.

Renji stares down at the clock, "Eh, I've got time" he shrugs. I almost can't believe it; I stare at him almost crying. "I'm Renji Abarai, by the way"

"Kodokuno" I point to myself.

We walk through the streets of the seireitei to the barracks, along with Tobiume, Renji and Zabimaru, his Zanpakuto. The woman of the duet is named Monkey, she has dark green fur covering her body, the young boy is Snake, who has a snake tail which follows behind him. Haineko waited at the apartment for Rangiku to come back. What a strange sight it must be, seeing a soul reaper with so many Zanpakuto. We come to a stop in front of the gates which leads to the squad eleven barracks. Two men, one rather tall and lanky and another smaller, but still taller than me, were guarding the entrance. The taller one blocks our pathway while the shorter one speaks.

"Hey! You're not a part of squad eleven! These barracks are off limits to anyone other" He shouts

Renji walks up introducing himself- "Renji Abarai, squad six lieutenant" as he reveals his badge. Both realize their mistake and bow in recognition.

"Sorry sir" One says,

"Go straight in" Says the other.

The gates open to reveal a large open space in front of the main building. Members of the squad are here training and sparring with one another. We walk straight through with no other trouble. Although I'm not showing it on the outside, excitement is overtaking me. We enter the main building through a rather oversized door. While we walk I look franticly around to see a familiar face, but he was not here.

"We should look for Yumichika and Ikkaku, they should know who you are looking for" says Renji as he makes his way to the living quarters.

Ikkaku and Yumichika are not what I expected. Ikkaku is a medium sized, but bald man, with red tattoos on the corners of his eyes. Yumichika is a skinny, dark-haired man with coloured feathers reaching from his eyes.

"Abarai!" calls Ikkaku,

"What brings you here?" asks Yumichika,

"What's this?" questions Ikkaku before Renji can answer, referring to me.

"Her name's Kodokuno, apparently someone she's looking for is in squad eleven" Explains Renji,

"My master" I look up at them,

"What's your Master's name?" asks Yumichika,

"Well..." I look around nervously "I'm not sure but I believe his name is Kenpachi Zaraki"

"Captain Zaraki?!" Renji gasps in shock,

"You're-?" stutters Yumichika,

"So" Ikkaku is the only one who seems confident, "You're the captain's Zanpakuto" He sits back down, "You don't look like much.." he adds,

Yumichika circles me, inspecting me "I dunno Ikkaku, look at these" he says as he points to my scars, "sure looks like his Zanpakuto to me" I believe what he meant to say was, 'damaged enough'.

"Oh yeah" agrees Ikkaku, "And what about those bells on her wrist?" I have bracelets with bells on them; they made it difficult to move silently.

"Where's Zaraki?" asks Renji,

"Probably training" replies Yumichika

"Do you know where?" I ask,

"Follow us" smirks Ikkaku.


	5. Chapter 5

We leave the barracks- Ikkaku, Yumichika, Tobiume, Renji, Zabimaru and I. What is wrong with these people? I don't understand why they would want to help me. They instantly want to help a random stranger who comes asking. It sickens me how insane these people are. I am not used to this, no one has ever tried helping me, until now.

And now we travel to find the very man I have been searching for, not just for the past few days, but for many years. In a way, it feels unrealistic, that I will wake up once again with the desert sun staring at me from above.

I realize now that I am fidgeting uncontrollably, I guess nerves have gotten the better of me. I watch as my hand shake before Tobiume holds it to stop the trembling.

"Don't worry about it" She smiles, I immediately yanking my arm back breaking her grip.

"You don't understand" I whisper to her "He doesn't even know my name; you've known Momo for most of your life, haven't you?" Without noticing my whisper had become shouting, "I feel like he's a complete stranger yet I've known him my whole life! I've always been there for him, always. It's made me ask if he even wants to communicate with me!"

Tobiume stands astonished as I vent my feelings upon her. "Your eyes…" she whispers,

"I wouldn't worry about that" interrupts Ikkaku from the front, "Zaraki'll do anything to get stronger"

We come to an old arena; it was broken and worn from years of abandonment. The high pillars above us cracked as tiny rocks flew down smashing when it hit the ground. It sounded like someone was running on the tops of the pillars.

"BALDYYYY!" a voice from up high draws closer as a small girl lands directly on Ikkaku. A cloud of dust flies from beneath them. The cloud clears only to reveal Ikkaku lying face down with the girl sitting on him. She looks down to him saying "Watcha doin here baldy?"

"I'M NOT BALD!" screams Ikkaku as he struggles keeping his head up. The girl with pink hair looks up at me when an image flies across my mind. It brings me back to the night of my stabbing. She was the smiling girl with the sword and pink hilt. She recognises me.

"Hey!" She jumps up, "You're the one from the other night!" she points.

"Where's Captain Zaraki?" asks Yumichika,

"Kenny's practicing" she cheers,

"Can you take us to him?" asks Renji,

"I dunno.. Kenny might get mad if you interrupt him" She warns,

"I'll just go" I propose. The others watch as I begin to pace forward. To tell the absolute truth I don't know where to go, I only realized this after I began walking. To my surprise the girl appears beside me skipping along the path.

She peers up towards me and says "My name is Yachiru!"

I smile, still walking- "I'm Kodokuno"

"Kenny's this way" she points. We are now inside the arena. There I can see him. He is the man from that very night. He is very tall and built and he ripped Captain's Haori flows from his shoulders. He turns to face us, with that blade in his hand. He wears an eye patch to one side and has a scar on the other side of his face.

"Yachiru!" He yells "I thought I said to not interrupt" We walks closer, I am feeling more nervous with each step. He halts staring at me.

"What's this?" He grins and cocks his head to the side. I eye the sword in his hand. He notices my eyes dodging back from it, and smiles, as if challenging me.

"Kenny!" calls Yachiru. My knees are trembling.

"May I ask the name of your Zanpakuto?" I ask. His smile drops

He looks down to his sword replying with- "It doesn't have a name"

I drop to my knees and my knuckles hit the ground hard.

"I am your Zanpakuto" I try to sound confident, clenching my fists unsure what he would say. I certainly did not expect what would come next. He began laughing, maniacally. I lost balance in shock to his response but my knuckle supported me from falling.

"What's your name?" He stopped laughing. I look up at him.

"I am Kodokuno" I answer. I try to look strong, but on the inside I want to scream. Now, he finally knows who I am. After all those years in the desert, waiting, he knows my name.

"Kodokuno, eh?" He replies.

I'm back..


	6. Chapter 6

**(Please don't judge, I suck at writing action scenes)**

I lay in the warm sand looking to the sky. The glaring sun caused me to squint. I missed this place, after being here for so many years, just being away for only a short time made me feel slightly homesick.

"Nice place!" His voice echoes from behind me. I jump up, startled.

"This is your inner world" I explain as I get onto my feet.

"I'm here, what now?" He looks away distracted.

As his attention is directed elsewhere the sword forms in my hand. I lunge forward towards him with no warning, so he only has time to block with his left forearm. I stand with my arm extended, as dark red blood runs to the hilt. He seemed surprised for a split second.

"I see" He laughed "At least you can cut me. Good to know you're not weak" I hold up my hand, and an identical sword appears in his right hand.

"I'm not as weak as I look" I say before retreating back ten metres or so to allow the battle to begin. I want to see how he fights…

He charges forward as he aims from above, I bock with my own sword and use my other arm to support it. Our blades clash with an impressive clang, which leaves my ears ringing for a second after. We struggle for a short time, until he begins to overpower me. A smirk forms across his face as he kicks me back. I am flung, but I manage to land on my feet. We both run in towards one another, continuously attacking one another.

Regrettably I turn my back against him where he takes this opportunity to slash my shoulder. I retreat back, but to his surprise, I stand back with a smirk. This is the perfect opportunity; I turn the structure on my hilt a quarter way. He cocks his head to the side as I announce "Obliterate". I smile as I look up to him. I can feel the change of the blade, but the physical form doesn't change.

I run forward at full speed and the blade clashes with his. He seems oblivious to any change, until the once fully intact sword of his begins shattering into tiny particles, until it completely disappears. Although this would not usually happen to the original zanpakuto, the one he was using was artificial.

"Well, what do we have here" He stares at his hand where he once held the blade.

"I guess I know have the upper hand" I say

What will he do now? He is trapped.

In my confidence I slightly let off my guard, where he grabs my wrist and twists my arm, causing me to let out a short cry of shock. He disarms me, taking my sword and kicking me to the ground. I lay with my own sword pointed to my neck.

"Now you're gonna tell me how you did that" he says as he pulls the sword back to his side. I stand and points to the structure

"Turn it a quarter way," I explain, "The activation chant is obliterate"

"That easy, huh?" He laughs, at least now we can work together.

"Now tell me one thing" He turns to me.

"Anything.." I answer

He looks around, seeing only more desert in the distance,

"How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?!"


	7. Chapter 7

I check the number on the door, I think this I it. I knock on the door three times and step back to wait for an answer. I hear voices from inside and the door opens to reveal Haineko; she almost falls but regains her balance. She leans on the doorframe, drunk with bottles in her hand. It takes a few seconds for her to realize who it is. "Koh-Doh-Kuh!" She squeals.

She stands back to let me pass through. We are in some sort of office, Rangiku lays on the lounge along with Tobiume while Zabimaru leans against the desk. A figure stands in the corner, not saying a word.

"Kodokuno! Welcome to our little party!" Yells Rangiku, obviously unaware of how loud she is speaking, she stands up and runs over to hug me. The scent of alcohol radiates from her.

"Uh.. Yeah" I smile awkwardly, unsure of what I should say.

"Hey" She stumbles, "So Haineko told meh that you found your master!"

"Yeah!" interrupts Haineko, "What was his name again? Ke- Ke-" She tries to recall,

"Kenpachi Zaraki?" I help her,

"That's it!" She shouts, and then starts to laugh, for some unknown reason. Maybe she found it funny that she couldn't remember?

"Captain Zaraki?" Rangiku asks once again

"Is this your office?" I try to steer the conversation off this subject.

"Oh God No!" She laughs, "This is the captain's office"

The man in the corner clears his throat to direct her attention to him- "Are you sure Master Hitsugaya will allow Sake in his office?" He said as he eyes the various bottles spread over the floor.

"Don't worry! I always have parties in here" She calls over to him. The man sighs and leans back against the wall. Rangiku takes no notice and turns back over to talk to me again. I ignore her words and her voice becomes a background noise. I stare at the man, he has a light blue X tattooed on is face. I assume he is a Zanpakuto, as he addressed the captain as 'master'. He seems to be as still as a statue looking down at his feet.

"Are you listening to me?" Yells Rangiku and once again I am brought back into the world. I nod unconvincingly to Rangiku, but she does not continue.

"Wait.. Have you not met Hyorinmaru?" Asks Tobiume, as she gestures towards him.

"No" I answer, then I turn towards him, "I'm Kodokuno" I smile awkwardly in an attempt to look somewhat happy. He nods in acknowledgement, still maintaining the same expressionless face, then turns have to his original pose.

Without warning the door swings open.

"Captain" Calls Rangiku, still intoxicated,

"Master!" Bows Hyorinmaru,

"Rangiku!" He complains on the instant he sees the mess.

The captain is not what I expected. He is almost a child with silver white hair and the bluest eyes I have seen, even compared to my own. He appears so young yet he talks with sophistication, I find myself somewhat impressed.

We are standing watching Rangiku clean the bottles, there certainly are a lot of them. She is also making Haineko help, as she is partly responsible. I feel slightly guilty; letting those two clean the whole office, even though I have only been here for ten minutes. The captain stands, arms crossed, watching her gather the bottles into one heap. He looks over to me.

"Who are you?" He asks straightforward.

"I am Kodokuno, Zanpakuto of Kenpachi Zaraki" I bow my head.

"Zaraki? I was helping him reach his inner world. He's.. stubborn" He looks up "So has he found his Zanpakuto? I'm happy for him."

This is bad. It is coming back, the anger. I found it difficult to control, and I blurted everything I was thinking, "Happy for _him_?!" I raise my voice, "Wasn't I the one who sat for 150 years in complete solitude? But he has always been fine without me! No one takes into consideration what I feel, what I have felt. Never.."

He is silent, his expression is unchanged.

"You're eyes changed colour" Hyorinmaru's voice radiates from the corner of the room. I calm myself, realising what I had done.

"That happens a lot," I say to the floor, "I represent aspects of my master's personality, one is loneliness. When my eyes are dark blue in colour I represent this aspect, which is what I feel most of the time. The other, is rage, where my eyes change to a fiery red colour" I look up apologetically, "Please forgive me"

"I can imagine rage, but loneliness? I don't know" Rangiku questions.

"Before he met the girl, Zaraki's past was dark, and his life was spent on murdering those in his way." I repeat once again, "I'm sorry,"

Without another word I walk out of the door, slamming it shut behind me. I slump myself against the wall opposite and rest my head on my hands. I am mortified. I slide my body down to the floor and sit with my head down. I really am an idiot.

I hear the door open and footsteps towards me. I look up to expect Haineko or Tobiume but to my surprise, Hyorinmaru stands over me. I look back down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry" I whisper,

"Hitsugaya won't blame you for anything," he says, "When I manifested I lost memory of my master, the loneliness I felt, to have no home, was terrible. There isn't any need to try explaining yourself,"

I look up, "I-"

"What was that about" interrupts monkey as she strolls out the door,

"Ooooh, what were you guys doing?" laughs snake, this is not helping.

Haineko and Tobiume appear either side of me and take my hand; they take me through the corridors. The winding of the halls makes me wonder how big this building really is. They say to me they are going back to the apartment, but I think they may have gotten themselves lost.

Haineko still seems drunk, she cuts the corners, sometimes a little too fast, almost falling over at some point. She cuts around one certain corner and impacting Zaraki almost falling backwards, except I catch her. At first she seems confused but then realised what had happened.

"Watch yerself" he looks at her,

She gets back onto to her feet and yells back "Hey you watch it you scary creep!"

He sees me behind the aggravated Haineko, "Kodokuno, I've been lookin for you. We should go" He walks in the opposite direction as I begin to follow.

"Hey! I'm not finished!" she runs up and raises her arm. I turn around and catch her arm. I look up smiling, behind my smile I warn her. "Don't" I say, my hair half shielding my face. Zaraki stops, looking back.

"Kodokuno," she stutters, "What are you doing?"

"Master Zaraki" was all I had to say.

"Your master?" She understands.

Zaraki turns, still trying to stir her, "You got a problem with that?" he smirks,

"And what if I did?!" She yells up to him, man she's stubborn.

"Haineko!" Rangiku yells from the end of the corridor. Toshiro Hitsugaya follows along with the others.

"Zaraki!" calls Hitsugaya, "Did you receive the hell butterfly?"

"Not yet," he replies, and at that moment, coincidentally, a small black butterfly flutters by. From it a voice radiates, giving directions to the captain and lieutenants.


	8. Chapter 8

"All Captains and lieutenants with materialised Zanpakuto must report to the department of research and development" Were the orders, no other details.

"Captains… and lieutenants?" says Zaraki; even he seems suspicious of the orders. I can imagine us walking into the lab and being strapped down to a chair as part of some sick experiment.

"We should go" suggests Hitsugaya,

"Ughh… Walking!" complains Haineko, still her lazy self. She looks around to Rangiku then realises, "Oh wait, you're here!" her manifested self fades into nothingness, her soul now trapped in the Zanpakuto. Hyorinmaru does the same.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" shouts Tobiume, then sighs heavily. She shoots me a look before saying "Don't you dare.."

I am smiling as I fade into my sword. In this form I am aware of my surroundings, but I do not need to use my power as I am not released.

"Heh, bitch" Monkey comments,

"Lucky she didn't hear that, she'd be crazy" says Rangiku, as if lecturing Monkey.

"Who ever said she can't hear us?" Monkey says,

"Ha really? Wait- that means Haineko heard me all those times I've called her lazy!" Well, nothing but the truth there.

"If you don't mind we should go" Hitsugaya persists, immediately being ignored by the chattering Rangiku and Monkey. Zaraki sighs and begins walking the other way. Good.. I couldn't be bothered listening to them two blab about pointless topics.

We arrive at the meeting in the department of research and development. We walked past a dark room, which was illuminated by tanks of unknown organisms floating in a fluid of some sort. The fluid seemed to glow a brilliant green. The shadows from the organisms that were floating in the goo were cast onto the opposite wall. They danced against the green backdrop, making me think whether they were alive or not.

We are all in a rather large room as we all materialise in front of our masters. Secretly, I'm somewhat excited for my first meeting, but I keep myself contained. Captains stand to one side and lieutenants stand to the other.

Kurotsuchi, the head of the department, commands his lieutenant, Nemu to take names. She walks down the line with her hands clasped behind her back and says each name, as she walks past them.

"Of the lieutenants.. Morechiyo Omaeda with his Zanpakuto Gegetsuburi, Izuru Kira with his Wabisuke, Momo Hinamori with Tobiume, Renji Abarai with Zabimaru, Shuhei Hisagi with Kazeshini, Rangiku Matsumoto with Haineko," She spins around and walks in the opposite direction.

"Captain Sui-Feng with Suzemebachi, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki with Senbonzakura, Captain Sajih Komamura with Tenken, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku with Katen Kyokotsu, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya with Hyorinmaru, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki with Kodokuno, Captain Jushiro Ukitake with Sogyo no Kotowari" She turns to her captain "and of course, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi with Ashisogi Jizo"

"Yes! Yes! Nemu" He waves his hand impatiently, "Now I've called everyone here to test and compare Zanpakuto ability with master ability. We will run through six simple tests," Groans radiate from the entire group. I don't entirely understand, what could be so bad about a few tests? They are probably harmless blood tests…

The first test was actually a normal, simple test. Only a physical, nothing more. But this was the first and only normal test.

The second test was different. They stuck a tube into my arm. I flinched as they did; I never have been one for needles, especially after waking up with leads and cords leading from my body. Clear fluid flowed into my body. In a way it was rather relaxing, and then slight tingling sensations filled my body. Then the sensations increased, eventually becoming painful. The pain kept growing and growing, and didn't slow. Zanpakuto around me began moaning, a few even blacked out. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath, but this didn't help at all. The pain grew rapidly, every second more unbearable than the last. I squeeze down hard on the chair arms. It won't stop growing.

Screams come from all directions, but I can hold it in. This is ridiculous, I clamp on to the needle connected to the tube and snap it in two, one half still lodged in my arm. The pain stops growing, but it is still there. I open my eyes, two other scientists run to restrain me.

"What the hell-" I scream standing up, throwing them off me and sending them crashing to the floor.

"My, my" Kurotsuchi walks over to me, "You certainly are feisty" Half of the Zanpakuto have passed out, but mostly the lieutenant level.

Zaraki looks to me with no expression and simply says, "Don't be weak" I stare him in the eye as I sit back down.

"Yes yes, keep her under control will you?" Says Kurotsuchi waving his hand in the air. I feel like punching him for the moment.

"Please come, we will test for internal damage" Nemu walks by ushering me towards the next room. She is followed by several other Zanpakuto; I decide to join this little pack behind her.

It seems Suzemebachi would have gotten the worst of it, given her size. But she was almost unaffected, her entire body is made from poison, and it neutralised the poison entering her body. I look to Zabimaru, who is behind me. Monkey is walking carrying a passed out snake. Poor snake… He still is only a kid, even if he is a Zanpakuto.

"Good news, sir, no damage" reports the nurse, or scientist who was testing me. No pain this time, just an X-ray.

"Hm, yes" Kurotsuchi says stroking his chin, or what at least looks like a chin. It is a gold pharaoh rod extending from his chin. "I have come to the conclusion that Captain level Zanpakuto are stronger than that of lieutenant level"

That was when I lost it, "You did all that just to determine what was already obvious?!" I shouted, my eyes are surely a different colour by now "Half of us have passed out from your little test back there!"

"For science, my dear" chatters Kurotsuchi, walking from me before I could snap back another smart assed comment, which would, in the end, get me in a psychiatric ward somewhere. I guess they wouldn't expect anything other from Zaraki's Zanpakuto, but still I didn't want to be in another hospital.

The next test will measure resonance between master and Zanpakuto. We each stand facing one another in rows. Zaraki draws his sword, at the same time I extend my arm and open my hand to allow the identical sword to manifest in my hand.

I close my eyes as I project the blue spiritual pressure and it begins to swirls around me. Our swords meet and I can feel the power pulsing through my body.

I open my eyes again, to my surprise; I do not see the competing of two different spiritual pressures. I only see one golden/ yellow spiritual pressure. It is no longer the blue in which represents my loneliness, it is the same colour as his. This really the first time we resonate, even when we are fighting. The gold aura surrounds us and is being recorded by a machine.

A hell butterfly flutters by, across us, breaking the resonance as we lose our focus. The voice which radiates is that of the squad 1 lieutenant.

"Beast swords have been sighted and are spreading around the senkeimon. Head Captain Yamamoto has assigned squad eleven to control the numbers"

Thank god, I am saved.

"Finally, this was getting boring anyway" says Zaraki, he holds out his sword "Kodokuno". I fade back into the sword as we walk to the exit.

"Lucky bitch" mutters monkey as we pass. Zaraki sheathes.


	9. Chapter 9

Squad eleven is waiting when we arrive at the senkeimon. A huge gate which connects the soul society and the human world stands before us. "Kenny!" exclaims Yachiru and jumps on Zaraki's back.

"What's going on here?" he asks,

"Well.. we got the message to come here, so we came and now we're waiting!" she smiles. Well, that was a lot of help.

"And the beast swords?" He says,

"We haven't seen any yet"

"Well that's just great" His attention is directed towards the gate, "Why is the senkeimon open?"

"It was open after we arrived so we have been guarding it" she points to the squads formation in front of the gate.

It was quiet, the only sounds were crowds of men muttering, unsure of what was going on. The silence is broken when a single beast sword emerges from the darkness and attacks Zaraki from behind. He is fast to react, drawing his sword and slashing the beast's chest. Hoards of these beasts appear from nowhere. This had obviously been an ambush on squad eleven.

The squad struggles with the beast army, with Zaraki taking on four at one time. The squad eventually overpowers the army, but this does not stop them from attacking. Blood splatters over my sword form. I really do hate blood, especially getting covered in it. It doesn't really help, being a Zanpakuto.

I can see them, passing through the senkeimon. Two beast swords. Everyone else here is occupied and I was the only one who saw them. It would be disastrous if they were to reach the world of the living. I couldn't let this happen. I immediately manifest shouting back to Zaraki that I was following the beast swords. I run through the gate to the world of the living. The world around me swirls and changes until I reach the other side.

I jump to attack the sword beast, slashing him between the shoulder blades. He falls hard to the ground before transforming into a sword. I pick it up carefully and examine the extravagant hilt and long shining blade. He was once a Zanpakuto like me, only he lost his master, only to become a beast out of confusion and loneliness. I can understand his desperation; he only wanted to find his master, who had died during the rebellion.

I sigh as I plunge the sword into the ground. It stands with its hilt facing upwards.

"Goodbye" I whisper, I spin around only to find no giant door which will transport me back home.

"What the hell-!" I exclaim,

"Where'd the senkeimon go?" a voice from behind. Its Ikkaku, alongside is Yumichika. How long have they been standing there?

Ikkaku looks over at Yumichika, "Hey! I don't have a key" He shrugs.

"You should have brought one!" argues Yumichika,

"Don't go blamin' this on me" he says,

"Wait.. we're stuck here?" I interrupt.

Ikkaku calms and looks up to where the senkeimon would have been, "looks like" is all he said.

I panic "Holy shit! And I left my master unarmed!" Sighing heavily, I add "I am the worst Zanpakuto ever"

"Don't worry about it" says Ikkaku, "We just need to find another soul reaper"

"Ok" I mumble at my feet.

Where are we anyway? We are standing in a field of tall grass, beside a river. There is a town on the other side. It is quite dark at the moment, and the midnight breeze sweeps across the grass. We walk across the bridge into the town.

"This is Karakura town" Yumichika points out, "Why is it we always end up here?"

"If we're here we may as well go find Ichigo" says Ikkaku,

"He wouldn't have a key" Yumichika sighed hopelessly,

"Not Ichigo you idiot, but Rukia would, or she would at least have a way to communicate with the soul society to get them to open the gate" suggests Ikkaku

We walk through the quiet, lit streets when someone shouts towards us.

"Hey you! You shouldn't be alone out here!" He runs up to me, "It's dangerous"

I look behind me to see who he was talking to but no one else was on the street, I pause for a second, "Wait, you can see me?" I ask,

"Um.. Yeah" He seemed confused,

"And no one else…" I ensure

"There's no one here" He seems even more confused, and then checks around him. So he can only see me, not the soul reapers?

"What the hell? How can this guy see you?" Ikkaku exclaims,

"Dude! What happened to your clothes? You look like you fell off a cliff or something" He says as he sees my tattered clothes and my scars.

"I-uh-fell in the river" I am seriously the worst liar,

"Are you ok?!" He panics, thinking he must of stumbled across a mental patient or something…

"Yeah! Sure I am! I-uh-need to go this way-now" I side step him and rush down an alley. He watches me, confused.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika, I can't let that happen again. I'm gonna blow my cover!" I tell them,

"Hey-wait!" I hear the guy yell back,

"What do you suppose we do?" asks Yumichika. The guy begins walking down the alley, I can hear his footsteps as he comes closer. I panic and quickly turn to sword form.

"Hey- where'd she go? He scratches his head in confusion. Ikkaku walks over to me and picks up my sword form.

"What am I supposed to do, carry this thing around with me?" questions Ikkaku,

Ugh.. get over it


	10. Chapter 10

We jump the roofs through the town. My sword form is strapped to Ikkaku's obi, being cautious of the blade from stabbing his leg. Dark Clouds have formed in the distance; we are heading right for them. A thunderous crack of lightning and the sudden downpour of rain keeps Ikkaku on edge. The lightning makes me especially nervous, after all, isn't it attracted to metal? I'm a sword, not a lightning rod..

We arrive at a house, a medical clinic. Ikkaku and Yumichika run straight into someone's bedroom. A girl stands there with a boy with red hair. Both with astonished expressions on their face. "Rukia" smiles Ikkaku.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika, what are you doing here?" She asks,

"The senkeimon shut behind us when we were chasing beast swords into the world of the living, and neither of us have a key" Explains Yumichika, as the two enter the room through the window.

She takes out her phone; "I don't have a key myself, but I can ring the soul society" She takes a few minutes on the phone to request the senkeimon open. She turns back with an unpromising look on her face. "They have shut off the senkeimon to prevent sword beasts from entering the world of the living" She explains.

"Dammit!" Ikkaku sighs, and then leans against the wall.

Rukia turns to the boy, "Kon! What the hell are you doing? Go get them something to drink!" she demands.

"What am I, your slave?" He rolls his eyes. Within seconds Kon is flat on his back from being punched hard in the face by Rukia. He then obediently crawls out the door.

That was when Rukia realizes Ikkaku is carting two Zanpakuto.

"Isn't that Captain Zaraki's Zanpakuto?" She asks,

"Yeah" Says Ikkaku, peering down at my sword,

"What are you doing with it?" she asks,

"The idiot followed us out here" He laughs to himself,

"Who? Zaraki?" She is confused,

"nah…" He stands up straight and I manifest beside him, "Her name's Kodokuno,"

"Gah!" She steps back, out of shock.

I shoot Ikkaku a look of pure poison, "What?" He shrugs.

"What do you mean idiot?!" I remind him,

"It means your stupid ass shouldn't be here!" He retaliates,

"Speak for yourself" I yell

"Would you two shut up?!" shouts Rukia, interrupting our argument, "It's the middle of the night, you'll wake up the whole house!" Both of us remain silent and sit obediently on the bed.

The window behind us opens to reveal a soul reaper identical to Kon. Kon might be the soul candy soul reapers take to take care of their gegai. He jumps through the window with ease and lands in front of us. "Yumichika? Ikkaku?" He questions, he is surprised to see us "What now?"

"Ichigo.. Is that anyway to greet your old friends?" Ikkaku stands up,

"Yeah, but usually if you're here something's going on. Is there a hollow or something?" He asks. Wait.. there's something about him…

"Wait! I know you!" I walk up to him, his eyes are set on me.

"Really? I-uh-guess I don't remember you…" He concentrates hard, obviously trying to remember my face.

"No, not you" I touch his zanpakuto softly and I can feel his presence, "Zangetsu" I whisper.

"How the hell do you know my Zanpakuto?" He demands,

"Well when two blades meet they have the ability to communicate with one another, I remember Zangetsu clearly. He was the one who encouraged me to attempt communicating with my master" I explain.

"Zanpakuto can actually speak to one another? I've never heard that before" comments Yumichika,

"So that means you fought against my master" I point out,

"You're a Zanpakuto then?" he asks, "Who's your master?"

"Kenpachi Zaraki" I say in hope of recognition, his eyes widen.

"Kenpachi's Zanpakuto?" He confirms,

"Yes" I smile,

"Then while are you here and not in the soul society? Or is Kenpachi here as well?" He turns to Ikkaku and Yumicika.

"The senkeimon shut behind us and we're probably stuck here for a few days" sighs Yumichika, folding his arms across his chest.

"ah, and let me guess.. You want to stay here" he says, almost sarcastically

"nah we have somewhere" Ikkaku stretches his arms behind his head.

"We do?" asks Yumichika,

"Yeah, the crazy lady and that kid" he explains. He obviously had made the decision without informing anyone, even the people we are staying with probably don't know.

"Oh god.. not there" he cries. Where exactly ARE we staying?

"And also another problem" Ikkaku sits back down

"What is it?" Rukia asks curiously.

"I don't wanna have to carry this thing around," He points to me, "Humans can see her ya know"

"Hey!" I argue

"It's not my fault you're fat!" He yells,

"You're just weak, and I am not fat!"

"Manifested you might not be, but when you're sword you weigh a ton!"

"Don't be so weak!"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Shouts Ichigo, "My family's asleep ya know"

I turn away from Ikkaku and fold my arms, completely ignoring his reaction. I think for moment about his problem. "Well I could just stay in this form; I can easily be mistaken for a human. Ut if they can see me shouldn't I wear something a little better than this? It's kind of tattered; I don't want anyone asking if I fell off a cliff again"

Rukia walks over to the closet and chucks a jumper from it "Here, wear this"

"Are you alright there giving away my clothes?" says Ichigo.

I walk out of the room and into the bathroom carrying the jumper. I want to at least half decent and not cause suspicion so I guess I'll just have to deal with wearing some oversized hoodie.


	11. Chapter 11

This jumper is long enough to be my dress, that Ichigo kid is much taller than me. I tie my hair back into a pony tail and stare deep into the mirror. With my hair tied up, my scars aren't covered. They stand out even more given how pale my skin is.

I sigh and exit the bathroom and drag my feet as I walk down the hall. I roll up my sleeves as I am walking to the room, trying to remember if I had to take a right or a left at the end of the hallway.

I flinch when I realize that our 'conversation' in Ichigo's room was a bit too loud and had woken one of his sisters. I gasp and hide behind the corner praying I hadn't been spotted. She seems to be oblivious to my being here. Good. That's good… No… Bad.

She is walking towards where I am hiding. I have to find a place to hide, quick, but there is nowhere around me. I panic, so I do the only thing I know to do and transform.

Well… that was a crap idea. She can still see me and feel me, especially when she trips over a random sword lying on the floor.

"What the-" she stumbles, then checks her foot to make sure it hadn't been sliced off. She carefully picks up the sword with her fingertips and quickly drops it. She examines my blade and once again picks it up, this time with her palms.

"Karin!" Cries another girl stepping back as Karin turns around with a sword in her hands.

"Shh! Yuzu!" Karin signals, holding her finger to her lips. Yuzu immediately covers her mouth then checks around her.

"What are you doing with _that_?" Yuzu asked, in a hushed voice.

"I found it" whispers Karin looking back down at my sword.

"Well? What do we do with it?" Yuzu asks with wide eyes.

"I don't know" says Karin.

"Karin? Yuzu?" Kon is behind them with the tray of tea that Rukia had forced him to fetch. Karin quickly hides the sword behind her back as she spins around.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu tries acting normal, "Watcha doin?"

Kon looks down at the tray with 5 cups of tea, "Uh" He looks up "drinking multiple cups of tea.." he stutters, then looks at Karin with her hands behind her back, "What're you doing?" he asks suspiciously.

"Uh- nothing" Karin looks away,

"Okay.." Kon stares at the roof which is followed by an awkward few seconds of silence.

"Uh- we gotta go," Yuzu saves us, "we need to go to bed!"

"Yeah, me too" says Kon. We walk separate ways in the hall and into a bedroom. Karin puts me down on the desk and covers me with a cloth.

"I hope no one finds it here, it's not like anyone is staying in this room anyway, we'll figure out what to do with it in the morning." Karin tells Yuzu, and Yuzu nods in agreement.

I hear them leave the room and convert to my manifested state. I sigh heavily, that was too close. I have to be way more careful. I straightened up and begin to walk to the door.

"Hold on, I just need to check something" Karin walks back into the room then freezes in place, confused. I stand in front of her in my manifested form, also frozen.


	12. Chapter 12

"Wha- Who are you!?" She demands,

Crap…

"Are you a spirit? You shouldn't be in my house if you are! Get out!" She yells,

Yuzu waltzes in to see what is going on,

"Ah! Who is this?!" She screams,

Karin glances over to her sister, "Yuzu, you can see her?" She turns back over to me "Then… that means you can't be a spirit? A-Are you a burglar?!" She takes step back,

Yuzu squeezes her eyes shut and covers her ears muttering "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, please don't kill me, please"

"Wait! Let me explain!" I wave my hands,

"Go on, I'm listening" Karin says, still suspicious.

"For some reason, people can see me. They're not supposed to, I don't know what's wrong with me" I lower my hands,

"And so that's why Yuzu can see you? So you are a spirit then?" She confirms.

I pause for a moment to think how I could explain this. "Well sort of. I am a spirit, but I am not a ghost. A Zanpakuto spirit," I say,

"Zanpakuto?" Yuzu repeats,

"A Zanpakuto eh? I think I've heard that before. I remember a boy I met before mentioned something about it" Karin seems deep in thought, trying hard to remember.

"What was his name?"I ask curiously, maybe I know this boy?

"Zabimaru, I think," She answers

Could it really have been Zabimaru? But she mentioned only the boy, and not monkey. "It must have been snake you met, was he with a woman?" I ask,

"Nope, just the boy," she says

"Ah, I see" Why would Monkey let him alone?

"He said that he was free, what did he mean?" So that's it, he ran away. Well, I would want to as well if I was chained to another person. Especially if I was chained to Monkey, she really gets on my nerves from time to time.

"It means he left his master" I almost forgot she was here, I was deep in thought. "Which is Renji Abarai"

"Who?" asks Karin,

"He is a soul reaper" I say,

"A-A what?" asks Yuzu

"Soul… Reaper…" Karin concentrates "My brother is a soul reaper"

"A what?" Begs Yuzu, she has no idea what we are talking about.

"What do you mean, master?" Asks Karin,

I sigh and sit down, shortly being followed by the pair. "A soul reaper carries a sword called a Zanpakuto, these Zanpakuto are separate beings but within a sword." I feel like an expert the way I am explaining it.

"So since Ichigo is a soul reaper, he also has a Zanpakuto?" Karin shuffles forward, interested.

"Yes" I nod, "His name is Zangetsu,"

"I am so confused…" She lays of the floor, trying to take in what we are saying.

"So you said you were a Zanpakuto, do you have a master?"

"He is a captain of the 13 court guard squads in the soul society"

"Soul society?" Looks like I'm losing Karin as well as Yuzu,

"That's a long story…" And anyway how do I explain it.

She looks at me slightly confused, "So, why are you in my house?" Oh, right, I haven't mentioned that yet.

"I got stuck in this world, and your brother is helping us" I explain.

She holds out her hand "I'm Karin," She smiles,

I return the smile adding "I'm Kodokuno, nice to meet you"

"Eh… Yuzu…" Yuzu, still lying on the floor, holds up her arm in attempt to.. wave or something, but it just flops back down to the floor. I've overly-confused this girl, who knows how long she'll stay like this?

"So you have to get back to this world you call the 'soul society'?" confirms Karin

"Yup," I lean back against the bed frame, "And back to my master"

Then, we all hear it. The thumping footsteps down the hall, and coming closer to the door. Not again…

"Quick, hide!" Karin whispers persistently, Yuzu sits back although still slightly dazed. I transform into a sword as the door opens. Either Ichigo or Kon stands at the door. Karin shuffled in front of me to make sure he couldn't see.

"I-I heard noises coming from here" He looks around the room.

"We were just talking, ya know, nothing to worry about" smiles Yuzu innocently, wow she's convincing.

"I thought you two went to bed" He stated,

"I thought you were drinking multiple cups of tea" Counters Karin,

"Uh-yeah" He stutters. Without noticing it, Karin is slowly slinking back. Eventually she moves so far back she accidentally knocks over my sword from which was leaning against the bed. I hate not being able to move in this form.

"What was that?" He peers over her.

Karin sighs and picks up the sword once again, and looks up to him. "I-uh-found it"

"Yeah.. That's mine, I bought it at a festival" He lies through his teeth, "A real replica" He smiles unconvincingly.

"Here you go then" Karin passes the sword over. I am guessing it is Kon, like Karin, he also holds a sword with his fingertips, and almost drops me. Ichigo on the other hand is a soul reaper; he'd be used to carrying a sword and probably hold it by the hilt. Kon is such an amateur.

"Thanks!" Laughs Kon, then slinks out sighing deeply as he closes the door. "You idiot" He comments as we walk back.


	13. Chapter 13

We enter Ichigo's room once again and I manifest as the door closes.

"Took your sweet time" Rukia stands in front of us with her hands planted on her hips. Ichigo glides past Rukia over to Kon and I.

"Come 'ere Kon" And before Kon has a chance to reply, he smacks him over the back of the head with a badge of some sort. Ichigo's body diffuses into Kon's and a small marble-like object falls from his mouth and drops to the floor. Ichigo, now in his gegai, picks up the candy and forces it into the mouth of a stuffed animal. The lion reanimates and leaps from Ichigo's hand.

The animal points up to me- "What were you doing with those two, huh?" It spoke with Kon's voice. Everyone else in the room immediately turn towards me, staring expectantly.

"Well if Ikkaku wasn't so loud before, they wouldn't have found me" I close my eyes and point to Ikkaku. Everyone's stare is redirected to Ikkaku. He steps back defensively, and looks around, then glares back at me.

"Don't start blaming me, you moron!" Ikkaku snaps in his defence.

I turn my back on him and fold my arms, simply saying "Didn't you ever learn you shouldn't insult girls?" Out of the corner of my eye I look back at him, "Or has that shiny head of yours got no brain?"

Ha, that really set him off. For a second there Ikkaku looked like he was bright red. Stupid baldy…

Ikkaku took a deep breath, and allowed himself to calm down, "Keep it together Ikkaku, you can't listen to some half-witted Zanpakuto" He opened his eyes once more, "Soon you'll just be the captain's problem, eh?" That really hit me deep. I had almost forgotten I wasn't going to have this freedom forever.

I turn around and sit on the bed without saying a word, looking down at my hands. "That's right" I breathed, "I had almost forgotten what I am"

Ikkaku's face softened as the words left my mouth. "Don't take that seriously, I was just saying, ya know, it's not like I meant it" he tried apologizing.

I look back up and mask my feelings with a smile. "Don't worry. After all, I shouldn't forget I'm not supposed to be here. I mean, all I really am is a sword, right?"

Why is this bothering me now?

"Let's just forget I said it, kay?" Ikkaku says, uncomfortable with the conversation. It is out of character for me to express my feelings like this, I usually keep them to myself. They're not anyone else's concern..

I look up to Ikkaku and nod once, again with a forced smile.

"So I'll guess you'll be off then?" Ichigo changes the subject, breaking the depressing atmosphere which plagued the room. Yumichika pushes himself away from the wall he was leaning against and leaps from the window. Ikkaku and I follow closely, turning back to wave goodbye to the others.

We jump from roof to roof, with Ikkaku now leading. He calls back to Yumichika that there is one stop before we reach the place we are staying. I am silent the entire trip, just thinking to myself.

Why did it bother me? I've always accepted what I am. The only thing I have ever asked for was to meet my master, and I have gotten my wish. And after that, now I want even more freedom? I really am greedy. Greedy, greedy, greedy, greedy. I hate myself because of it.

After about ten minutes, we stop at a shop of some sort, but based on the closed shutters and the sign saying so, it seems closed.

Quite gracefully (that was sarcasm), Ikkaku thumps on the sliding doors exclaiming- "Urahara, get out here!" If no one answers soon, I'm afraid Ikkaku will demolish the door. He pauses for a moment before shouting "I know you can hear me in there"

The door slides open to reveal the vendor, wearing dark green clothes, his eyes covered by blonde hair and a striped green and white hat. He sighs slightly but then speaks in an upbeat tone- "What a pleasant surprise, I don't believe I was expecting someone at this hour."

We sit at a low table while a young girl serves tea. Wow, what IS it with these people and tea? Seems to be popular with the humans and the soul reapers. Odd…

"You see Urahara, we are here for our gegais we ordered some time back" Yumichika explains, meanwhile the girl places a cup in front of him, but he shakes his head and waves her away, "Oh no thank you, I've heard tea can cause wrinkles, I don't want anything to happen to my beautiful skin" He cries, traumatized by the thought.

"I thought you were gonna pick them up in January?" Urahara comments, his face shielded by a wooden fan.

I pick up my cup with both hands, I didn't get to drink my last one anyway. I find myself disappointed as my lips touch it, the tea is cold…

"About that.." Ikkaku speaks up, "We came here unintentionally, and we kinda need 'em now"

"Well you should at least give some notice" Urahara rolls his eyes, taunting Ikkaku,

Maybe I should ask that girl for some ice, and make it into ice tea, it would be refreshing.

"So do ya have 'em or not?" Ikkaku is slightly agitated.

Ugh, but I was looking forward to drinking something hot, on a cold night like this. Why does life have to be so hard…

Entertained by his reaction, Urahara grins "Don't worry, I received them a few weeks ago, they're out the back," he stands, followed by Ikkaku and Yumichika.

We're going already? Damn, I was gonna ask for a new cup…

'The back' as it was referred to as, was the storeroom for all the spare stock. The shelves of nasty equipment and creepy items made me shudder slightly.

Urahara observes as the two fuse with their gegai, then whips around to me apologising "I'm so sorry, miss, I have no gegai for you"

I've never been referred to as 'miss' before, the thought of it made me feel faint for a split second, but I refused to let it show. I smiled and respond with "It's alright, I don't need a gegai,"

"yeah, humans can see her" mentions Yumichika, before glancing down at his gegai body and exclaiming- "WHY IS MY GEGAI WEARING SUCH HIDEOUS CLOTHES?!"

Urahara looks back, and examines me closely, "Hmmm… Very Interesting" Dammit! I feel like he's staring into my soul, the bastard. Could he be any less creepy or what?


	14. Chapter 14

"Now that we're in our gegais, do we have to walk now? Ugh what a drag" Yumichika drones. It's not too far to walk to our next destination, but the other two seem restless and fidget as they walk. Not as convenient as jumping rooftops, I guess.

"This looks like the place" Ikkaku announces as we stand in front of an apartment. The two waiting for me, I raise my arm and knock loudly three times. I can faintly hear shuffling and the muffled voice of a boy- "Ugh, who could be here in the middle of the night, man I'm tired."

The door creaks open slightly to reveal the half awake teenage boy. It takes him a few seconds to adjust his eyes and wake up fully. He wipes his eyes and looks up at us. Upon recognition his eyes widen and the door slams shut, then the screams as he bolts up the hall.

Another voice, female, is screaming back at him- "What're you crying about you idiot, I was trying to sleep!" Her thumping footsteps approach the door and the swings open. The girl's expression changes from Anger to complete happiness.

"OH, my darling you're back" She squeals and wraps herself around Ikkaku, "Oh I knew you would come back for me, you couldn't stay away, could you? Ah and I see you kept you're head shaved, the way I like it" She rambles as she gropes Ikkaku's bald head. He is struggling trying to fight her off but she clings to him nevertheless.

"Get off me Woman! Yumichika Help me!" Ikkaku cries as the girl squeezes tighter.

"Should we give you two some privacy?" Yumichika chuckles, me joining him.

The girl's head shot up quite obviously disgusted, commenting- "Oh, you brought friends"

Her eyes trace over to me. "What the hell is this?" She stands straight and stares me down with hatred filled eyes. Her fiery stare strikes a sort of fear in my heart, and I'm not even sure why. "You're not here to steal my darling Ikkaku?" She interrogates,

I look behind me to make sure she is actually talking to me. "Who me?" I still have to confirm. After a moment of silence, Yumichika and I look at one another, before erupting in laughter.

The girl stands frozen, still raging, while Yumichika and I are collapsing on the floor in tears. I breathe heavily and wipe a tear from my eyes.

"No" I say, trying to keep a straight face "I like men with… hair" That was when I lost it again, Yumichika still snickering.

"Hey!" protests Ikkaku, to both my comment and to his 'girlfriend' clutching his arms, and restricting his movements.

Wordlessly, Yumichika invites himself into the house. I follow after him, still watching Ikkaku, giggling.

The other boy who lives here flinch's as he notices us coming inside. "I-It's you!" he cries and points to Yumichika. Yumichika rolls his eyes and continues walking.

"I'll see myself to the guest room" He calls, he is already down the hallway.

I should probably wait here for Ikkaku, to make sure he comes out of that alive. What on earth was that girl thinking? I would never like someone so dense and immature and.. and.. Bald… I wouldn't like an idiot like that.. I think.

"You don't.. transform like the other two, do you?" The kid still cowers in the corner. I assume he has a high spiritual awareness, and referring to them transforming into soul reapers.

"Oh no, don't worry about that" I smile. His face softens in relief as he sighs heavily. At least, until I add "I only turn into a sword"

His expression turns cold and his skin pale. I giggle quietly to myself; this dude is fun to mess with.

I collapse onto the couch beside him, where he buries himself deeper into the corner, trying to avoid eye contact. I make a point to continue eying him to make him uncomfortable.

The girl skips inside and boldly orders her brother to cook.

"Y-yes Mizuho" He stutters and slinks out of the room.

Dinner consists of steamed fish with sticky rice and sides of Miso and Teriyaki beef. Well, at least for Mizuho's 'darling'. For Yumichika and I, on the other hand, a small bowl of rice and a dinner roll.

Yumichika looks down in disgust, replying bluntly- "I was hungry, too"

Without another word I place my food onto Yumichika's tray. "A-are you sure?" He looks up at me.

I stand up- "It's alright, I don't eat" then walk to the guest room. It's true, we Zanpakuto don't get hungry. The room is a tatami room with 3 futons rolled up in one corner. As soon as my head meets the floor everything goes dark.


	15. Chapter 15

OMG guys, I am so sorry. It has been literary ages since I've posted. Life's just been hectic, ya know? Homework, Exams, life, everything. But I assure you I'm not dead, I just had a case of the writer's block and had NO idea what to write in this next chapter and what Kodokuno does the next day. But, here it is! If you've forgotten what's happening, Kodokuno, Ikkaku, and Yumichika have been stuck in the world of the living and have stayed at that creepy girl Mizuho's place. I'll try posting more often, but hope you enjoy for now!

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I can faintly hear the song of the chirping birds directly outside the bedroom window. I lay in silence and enjoy the peace, hoping that soon I will fall asleep once again. It feels strange not waking up to the harsh sun in the desert, I've found I hadn't been able to access the desert again since my master and I had separated.

Unfortunately my peace doesn't last more than five minutes when it is interrupted by two voices. Honestly, it's like they are trying to talk as loud as possible to get on my nerves.

"Well, what do ya know, she turns into a sword when she sleeps" Observes Yumichika,

"Wake up you idiot" Ikkaku comments as he nudges my sword form, not even giving the courtesy of looking in my direction. They both pause for a moment for an answer, but they will be disappointed. I aint getting up just for them, I've been exhausted since yesterday and I don't need to be developing dark circles now, so I'm afraid they'll be waiting a long time.

Yumichika and Ikkaku look at each other, Yumichika just shrugging in response.

"Get your ass up" Ikkaku threatens further. Psshhht no, it's too early..

"man, she's lazy" Yumichika complains, thinking that the comment will have a reverse psychological effect or something. I know I'm not lazy, I just hate mornings.

Irritated, Ikkaku reaches over and grabs firmly onto my hilt and trudge forward, dragging against the floor. I don't know what he's thinking but I'm going to be transforming anytime soon for the likes of him.

We come into the kitchen, from my angle I can only see the bottoms of the cupboards yet I can still recognise it. He holds my blade upright, I can see everything from here, including Ikkaku's hand reaching out for something one of the overhead cupboards. What's this bastard doing?

And from the overhead cupboards he pulls out the long rod, the steel. No… he'd better not…

The steel, with its intimidating teeth running down its rod may seem harmless, but to a sword with chips and rough edges, its absolute torture. Cutting buildings and solid metal in half don't even measure to the agony I'm about to feel.

The steel scrapes across my blade, at points getting jammed at certain ridges at my blade edge. The unbearable screeching sound, which was once thought to be the screams of a Zanpakuto in pain, fills my ears.

Dammit, this hurts. After 2 or 3 times I can no longer resist and automatically manifest again. My head pulsates and I would almost topple over if it weren't for the table top I was clinging to. The world spins around me and I have to hold my head in order to subdue the massive headache. My vision unblurs and the 3 Ikkakus standing in front of me revert back to one. "What the hell, dude, that hurts!" I snap immediately at Ikkaku.

"What? You were looking kinda dull" He laughs, obviously amused by his own lame comment.

I clench up my fists, pissed off at his ignorance. "Do you want to die!?" I retaliate, half meaning it.

Ikkaku barked a single laugh, and sneers "You couldn't land a finger on me"

I frown hard; making my response as intimidating as I could manage, "Don't act so Cocky, man"

"Why don't you two take his outside, huh? I'm surprised the other two haven't woken up already" Yumichika suggests nervously, his eyes darting towards the door and back to us.

I eye the clock above the dining table, it's hands almost standing still. "It's nine thirty, the other two would be at school by now. It's a Wednesday after all" I hiss,

"We should move outside, we wouldn't want to wreck their house during our little fight, eh?" Ikkaku says with a grin, his intense stare not lingering off of me for a second.

I pause for a moment, and sigh. "You're not worth it" is all I simply say when I begin pacing towards the door. I honestly didn't want to fight, even given how irritating he was being. I can feel his expression of shock when he didn't foresee this coming

"Hey! Come back! Don't back off now, that's just weak" Ikkaku's desperate calls are tune out from my mind as I reach outside. I can still hear his footsteps behind me, but he knows better than to come after me.

As soon as I reach the outside I immediately take off in a sprint, I need to go somewhere where I can think.


End file.
